Eggplant and Meat Pie (Greek Moussaka)

Creamy, juicy and absolutely delicious. Greek moussaka (mousaka) is one of the most popular dishes in Greece, served in almost every tavern and prepared in every household on special occasions and big family meals for good reason. Luscious layers of juicy beef or lamb mince are cooked in a tomato based sauce with sweet eggplants and creamy béchamel sauce, which is baked together until golden. The creamy béchamel sauce is the most essential part for a traditional Greek moussaka. The perfect béchamel sauce should be smooth and creamy. The base is most commonly fried eggplants. Some recipes also use sliced potatoes or alternate both.

Eggplants:
6 eggplants
vegetable oil, for frying

Meat Sauce:
26 oz beef or lamb mince (750 g)
2 red onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (14 oz) tin tomatoes, chopped (400g)
2 Tbsp. tomato purée
1 tsp. sugar
1 glass red wine
sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground
1 bay leaf
1 pinch cinnamon or one cinnamon stick, freshly grated
¼ cup olive oil

Béchamel Sauce:
3½ cups milk (900 mL)
3½ oz butter (120 g)
3½ oz all-purpose flour, unbleached (120 g)
1 pinch nutmeg
2 egg yolks
3½ oz Parmigiano-Reggiano or Kefalotyri, grated (100 g)

For the Eggplants:
Remove the stalks from the eggplants and cut them into slices, 1 cm thick. Season with salt and place in a colander for about half an hour.

Rinse the eggplants with plenty of water and squeeze with your hands, to get rid of the excessive water. Pat them dry and fry in plenty of oil, until nicely browned.

Place the fried eggplants on some paper, in order to absorb the oil.

For the Meat Sauce:
Heat a large pan to medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Stir in the chopped onions and sauté, until softened and slightly browned. Stir in the garlic, tomato purée and the mince breaking it up with a wooden spoon and sauté. Pour in the red wine and wait to evaporate. Add the tinned tomatoes, the sugar, 1 pinch cinnamon, 1 bay leaf and a good pinch of salt and pepper.

Bring to the boil, turn the heat down and simmer with the lid on for about 30 minutes, until most of the juices have evaporated.

For the Béchamel Sauce:
Use a large pan to melt some butter over low-medium heat. Add the flour whisking continuously to make a paste. Add warmed milk in a steady stream; keep whisking in order to prevent your sauce from getting lumpy. If the sauce still needs to thicken, boil over low heat while continuing to stir. Remove the pan from the stove and stir in the egg yolks, salt, pepper, 1 pinch nutmeg and the grated cheese. Whisk quickly, in order to prevent the eggs from turning into an omelet!

For the Moussaka:
Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4). Spray a deep 9x13" lasagna casserole dish with nonstick spray or grease with butter.

Lay down half of the eggplants. Pour in half of the meat sauce and even out. Add the remaining eggplants, and remainder of the meat sauce. Top with the béchamel sauce and smooth out with a spatula. Sprinkle with grated cheese.

Bake in a preheated oven for about 60 minutes, until crust turns light golden brown. Let the dish cool down for at least 20 minutes before cutting and serving.

Serve the Moussaka with a nice refreshing Greek feta salad and enjoy over a glass wine!

Makes 8 servings.